In an information processing system, the number of operational management targets (for example, computers, software, or the like) has increased, and operational management work has become complicated. In order to make operational work efficient in the system, a software program is used that supports an operational control for the computer, the software program, or the like that is the operational management target. For example, the operational control includes activation, checking of activation, creation of setting information, or the like. The computer that executes the software program creates a workflow according to a user instruction. The workflow includes multiple operational controls and information on the order in which the multiple operational controls are executed. With the workflow, the operational control is automated, and thus operational work can be efficiently performed.
Incidentally, in order to accomplish a shortening of a certain processing sequence, some of the processing operations are parallelized. For example, a method of determining whether processing using parallel control ends within a shorter period of time than processing using sequential control is proposed. Furthermore, a print processing apparatus is also proposed that determines a possibility of parallel processing by determining whether each of the two successive image processing sequences is image processing that depends on a position of image data that has to be processed, or is image processing that is independent of the position of the image data.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 2012-123688 and 10-337932 are examples of related art.
In order to complete execution of the workflow faster, it is thought that multiple operational controls that are included in the workflow are executed in parallel in multiple apparatuses that are operational management targets. In order to suitably determine whether the possibility of the parallel execution of each of the operational control components is determined, it is thought that a determination which results from combining priorities (the order) of all operational controls in terms of pre-processing and post-processing, and states (a state of a control target and a state of another target that has a hierarchical relationship to the control target) of all targets is made. However, because the number of combinations of all the states of the targets is enormous and the amount of computing is enormous, there is a problem in that, when processing is performed on all the combinations, it takes time to determine the possibility of the parallel execution and thus this is not realistic as a method of making a determination while the workflow is in execution.
On the other hand, in order to make a simple determination of the possibility of the parallel execution of the operational control components, it is also thought that, for example, based on the control content of and a control target of each of the operational control components, the operational control component is modeled prior to the execution of the workflow and the determination is made with only information that results from the modeling, while the workflow is in execution. However, when a relationship to the control target and a state of the control target that changes dynamically while the workflow is in execution are not considered, it is difficult to suitably determine whether the parallel execution is possible. For example, there occurs a problem in that it is difficult to clearly determine whether the parallel execution is possible and efficiency is not improved, or in that it is erroneously determined that the parallel execution is possible and the workflow does not correctly operate.
An object of an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an operational control management program, an operational control management apparatus, and an operational control management method, in which a determination of a possibility of parallel execution is made possible while operational execution is in progress.